My cursor keeps disappearing (Win 11)

M Sigurd Hall 25

I have the strangest problem with my desktop that I know isn't unique (my work laptop does it too). My cursor disappears after putting my computer to sleep and waking it up again, but not consistently. I will have the "find my cursor" option on (hitting the ctrl key), and it will show a random place on the screen(s). Moving my mouse doesn't change where the supposed cursor is. Only on restart does it go back to normal. Problem is that I might have browser pages up I'm still using. This may also occur more than once a day or as little as once a week.

Yes, I know restarting/shutting down more often is better for my desktop, so this is probably in general, better for the health of the computer, but it can be very annoying when I'm working on a document and can't remember if I saved or not since last logging in.

Any help is appreciated.

For those with laptops having the same issue, I know a simple fix. Open the start menu with the start key. Go to touchpad settings and toggle it off and on, and then it's resolved. Since I don't have a touchpad, however, this doesn't work for me.

Kat 0 Reputation points

2026-05-10T15:09:03.3533333+00:00

Nothing seems to work twice. We have reinstalled drivers, rebooted, closed the lid and opened again, checked to be sure Windows is up to date, done both the F6 and F9 "Trick". When we go to devices there is no touchpad icon there. I have toggled the cursor options off and back on. This time thought we were good as it hasn;t happened in about a month then this morning it's gone. SO FRUSTRATING! Why hasn't Microsoft put out a fix?
M Sigurd Hall 25 Reputation points

2026-05-10T15:11:54.74+00:00

I have found my own "stupid" resolution that seems to work 100% of the time. Unplug and plug in your mouse. Then it comes back online.
J Person 0 Reputation points

2026-06-22T19:07:50.08+00:00

I've tried all the other suggestions and nothing works. What I did differently on my own that definitely worked automatically is this sequence:

Windows key + x

Go down to Device Manager

Go down to Human Interface Devices

Go down to HID-compliant touch pad; open it up and uninstall device; then restart - this should do it for you.

I did this on my laptop so I don't know if it works the same way on a desktop.

Hope this works!!
Bob R 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T16:20:49.3133333+00:00

TRY THIS

System > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad

At the far right of the Touchpad box, click the V arrow to display additional options.

In the "Reset touchpad settings and gestures to defaults" box, click Reset.
Kat 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T17:33:34.5333333+00:00

I was having this issue for months. I performed every "fix" I found and none of them worked. I did as above and it wasn't even showing I had a Touchpad. sometimes a reboot fixed it sometimes not.

My husband did some digging and found something called MY ASUS. It keeps all things on my laptop current. I found I needed a BIOS update and a few other things. I had already checked for drivers and updated them but continued to have the disappearing act of my cursor.

Since going into the MY ASUS I've had zero issues. My husband's computer calls it MSI Center. Assuming all PCs have something similar.

You may look in your computer's control center and see if you see it. I went through and selected all the things I wanted it to handle and voila! Good luck as I know how frustrating it is.

6 answers

JANSHER LIWAG 8,960 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-11-12T15:16:29.01+00:00

Hi M,

Thank you for responding, If the steps did not help kindly try this another step below.

If you’re using an external mouse, ensure it’s properly connected after waking the laptop. A loose USB connection or low battery in a wireless mouse could cause it to malfunction.

Restarting the laptop after sleep might also temporarily resolve the issue.

Ensure laptop’s drivers are up to date, Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause cursor issues. Visit your laptop manufacturer’s website or use a driver update tool to check for the latest versions.

Check your power management settings. Sometimes, the system disables the mouse or touchpad to save power during sleep mode. Click start button then search Device Manager and open using administrator access. Right-click your mouse or touchpad, select "Properties," and under the "Power Management" tab, uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".

I hope you find this information helpful. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Best regards,

Jansher
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M Sigurd Hall 25 Reputation points

2025-11-12T15:20:20.4633333+00:00

You're misreading what I wrote. This is for a desktop, not a laptop, and its USB connection is definitely seated correctly, as there is no difference between when I restart or not. I also get the Microsoft chime that it is seated when connected, as this was another step I took while troubleshooting.
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My cursor keeps disappearing (Win 11)

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